Grass machines.

Here we have a perfect example of wanton damage and incompetence. The pathway used to be slabbed 6' wide. About two years ago after we saw the advent of the grass munchers, this pathway became very badly damaged, we also had a pickup which got bogged half way along and caused subsidence. So the council lifted the slabs and put up wee signs and a couple of barriers with red and white tape. The instruction to the pedestrian was to "use the other pathway."

The steep bank we can see here is one of a number in the area which these grass munchers seem to love traversing, and tearing up the soil as they go. It seems to be some kind of macho rite of passage as to who can traverse the steepest slope. All this time and effort going into cutting grass on steep muddy banks that would be better left alone. What a pity we cannot find money to repair and maintain the pathways.

I for one would much rather see well maintained pathways than machines roaring along steep banks cutting grass, burning and wasting fuel, what bloody madness.

Pathways,

I keep reading in the Ek News and other press about this or that politician lecturing to us how we need to use our legs more and walk our kids to school instead of using the car. So far so good I agree. However:

The pathways in this neck of the woods have been in a very sorry state for the 29 years that I have lived here with very little maintenance and improvement. Infact just the opposite. We used to have tractors from the council going around with various people who were allegedly doing estate maintenance. I wrote to the council years ago having had to get of a footbridge whilst a tractor and trailer made it's way across it. That footbridge now no longer exists as it fell apart and was set alight by the local bored neds.

Now we have large grass cutting machine which would not be out of place on a championship golf course, they use the same footpaths. These paths were slabbed when they were laid out, designed only for pedestrian traffic. I regularly see these large heavy grass machine and the ubiquitous blue SLC pick up parked on or driving down the pathways. The slabs are all pushed out of shape with large gaps in between them, are they repaired? NO

THE PICTURE ABOVE SHOWS PART OF A VERY BUSY PATHWAY THAT HAS BEEN IN THIS CONDITION NOW FOR 4 YEARS. (REPORTED BY ME SEVERAL TIMES.) THERE IS QUITE OBVIOUSLY A BURST WATER PIPE WHICH IS CAUSING THE PERMANENT FLOODING.

So before we get any more sanctimonious lectures on walking kids to school, can we please give them decent paths to walk on.

POT HOLES.

Yesterday a pickup parked outside my gate with two workers who sat for an hour having tea then set to work patching the pot holes in the street that have been bad for a few years.

I totally object to my council tax being wasted in this manner as the job they did was shoddy and slap dash. the pot holes were not cleaned out, but just had tarmac dumped into them and a vibrating plate applied to them. Then a cursory swipe round the edges with a tarry brush, presumably to seal the patch against errosion and water and frost damage.

No sooner had the pick up left the street than it started to rain and the tarry brush appled what ever it was , pissed of down the street in a brown flood and into the drainage system. There is now no sealent on these patches. In a few weeks they will be washed away as well as the whole thing just looks cheap and nasty.

Last year we had a couple of guys turn up to do a similar job, and by this spring there patches have virtually gone. One of them whom I spoke to said he hated doing such a cheap shoddy job, but that is what they had been told to do.

ONCE MORE FOR THE RECORD, I TOTALLY OBJECT TO MY COUNCIL TAX BEING USED FOR CHEAP NASTY SHODDY REPAIR WORK WHICH IS JUST LAZY INCOMPETENT MANAGMENT.

GIANT HOGWEED

There is what I think is an infestation of GIANT HOGWEED on both sides of the path going through Kirktonholme woods. If it is then it needs to be sprayed as kids are knocking it around with sticks and it is very dangerous to kids and pets.

This plant has been establishing here fro a couple of years but this year it is really increasing.